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JonB

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Everything posted by JonB

  1. In 1968 started skiing on a old wood Northland on the Mississippi River. My buddy had the Northland Shark. We were very cool. In 1970, I saw a picture of some guy named Mike Suyderhoud skiing on a nice looking O'Brien ski. Wrote a note, with a bunch of stupid questions, to the O'Brien company and received a hand written reply from Herb. Bought the wood O'Brien the next day. Around 1973, read an article about ski maker Wally Burr. He said that his employee Pat Connelly would some day make the best fiberglass skis. So I wrote another note, asking stupid questions to the Connelly company, mentioning the article. Received a nice hand written note from Pat Connelly asking if I still had the article. Sent it to him and received a personal thank you reply from Pat. Bought the fiberglass Connelly Super Glass Hook the next day. You couldn't get any cooler than that! In 1974 bought an old wood Century as our ski boat. Wakes were horrible but we didn't care. I loved that Hook. Skied on it for over 30 years and was so comfortable with it. Again, we were the coolest dudes on the Mississippi River. Then somewhere around 2006, some guy named Jamie Beauchesne was making skiing look easy on his Connelly. Didn't send any notes this time but did go out and buy a graphite Connelly FX1. Didn't improve my skiing but that yellow stick was super cool. In 2008 I took the FX1 to Ski Paradise. My first time in a real course. Didn't even know who the guest pro's were, only to find out they were Trent F. and Marcus B. (on his first trip with Jenny L.) You can't get any luckier than that! Trent and Marcus were able to get me thru 5 buoys - 30 mph at 15 off. I was in seventh heaven. In 2010 we were skiing behind a small Boston Whaler. I bought the wider Connelly FX to make it a little easier skiing behind the lower horsepower boat. Took that FX to McCormick's in Seffner, FL. and made all 6 buoys - 30 mph at 15 off. Damn I was cool again. 2022, after reading Horton's reviews and comments about the new carbon skis, I pulled the plug and ordered the Connelly Carbon V. Looking forward to trying it out this weekend. It was fun to get all the skis in one room and to think about all the changes in construction, bindings and design. Not to mention the 54 years of skiing memories.
  2. Ordered a 2022 Connelly Carbon V. My first new ski in many, many years (F1). 4 to 6 weeks wait from the factory. Looking forward to trying a new generation ski.
  3. I have a 2017 Outback 4 cylinder that I use to pull a 16' Boston Whaler - 2,000# total weight................also use it to pull a 900# utility trailer. The car, even with the 4 cyl., handles the Whaler no problem. Pull it back and forth from NY to Michigan all the time. Did put a 2,000# pallet of wood pellets on the utility trailer once and the car really struggled to handle the 3,000#. Would think the 6 cylinder Outback might handle it. Believe they are rated for 2,500#. I found acceleration to highway speeds was biggest issue with towing with the 4 cyl. engine. Maintaining speed is not a problem. Should also mention that I never tow in super hot weather. Travel at night in the summer. Didn't like the sound and feel of the transmission the one time it did. I know I'm pushing the limit with my car.....so I change the fluids before the recommended mileages. Hope that helps.
  4. Don't forget the locking pin on the draw bar also.
  5. I would have to classify myself as a "Frustrated Fun Skier". Fun skied for 30 years and loved every minute. Then went to Ski Paradise about 10 years ago. Lucked out and got to ski with Marcus & Trent. First time in the course, had an absolute riot and got hooked on the course. Fast forward to now.....can count the number of times on one hand I have had the chance to ski the course again during the last ten years (life happens). I read BOS every day and still dream about running the course. Got to the point I didn't enjoy free skiing any more because a course was not available........didn't ski for two years (and I own a ski boat). Almost quit BOS because of the frustration just thinking about it (sorry Horton). Finally had to have a long talk with myself and started free skiing again last summer. Would love to ski the course all the time but needed to let it go and just have some simple fun again on the water. I was taking skiing WAY to serious!
  6. Had a 1992 90hp Merc on a 16' Boston Whaler. Ran great but talk about smoke, rattle and shake. Replaced it with a 2014 90hp ETec on the same boat. Great motor!!! Doesn't quite have the same power as the old Merc but everything else is positive!!!
  7. We had a couple boats get frozen in the marina during a cold minus 20 degree cold snap one November. The engines were properly winterized and were not damaged. A couple of the boats had the thru-the-hull water pick-up pipes freeze in the boat, just below the ball valve & sea strainer. When the weather went above freezing and the ice in the pipes melted..... the water started to flow into the boats and they sank. Many boats that stay in the water with deicers below them, put Styrofoam down the water pickup pipe to prevent this from happening.
  8. I thought one of the interesting parts of the article was the charging time of for a "state of the art" new, electric boat: The boat is powered by a 55 kW electric motor and a 44 kWh lithium ion battery. It can be recharged with a 230V/16A or 110V/34A household outlet. A full charge takes 12 hours.
  9. Saw this on a boating web site.........another new electric model........ cruisingodyssey.com/2018/12/10/new-foiling-candela-all-electric-boat-tops-out-at-30-knots-plus/
  10. etrailer.com also has great "how to" videos that are good to watch.
  11. From BoatTest.Com: Finally, there is a line of state-of-the-art wakeboats that not only produce competition-sized wakes, but are also remarkably affordable. Little wonder, since Heyday is now a division of Bayliner, a brand built on the concept of low-cost boating. But, make no mistake about it, the four models in the Heyday line are not warmed-over Bayliners, but rather their own creations, designed from the keel up by wakeboat experts and enthusiasts. These boats are full of innovations and unusual design and must be seen to be appreciated. Promo Video Link Below (hope I did it correctly Horton) Video
  12. @Horton - Just received this from one of my BBQ sites.........a water skiing Big Green Egg. There is your answer John...........................
  13. Some of the old style battery chargers do not have the "smart" cycle and can cook/fry a battery in a short period of time, especially if left on the battery all the time.
  14. You can't go wrong with a propane Weber...but be sure to get a minimum of 3 burners so you can cook indirect on a good portion of the grill surface. If you are interested in smoke and low & slow cooking, you can pick up a small Acorn or Kamado Joe Jr. at a decent price. Lump charcoal is a different animal than the standard Kingsford charcoal and much easier to use in a kamado style grill.
  15. Holy Crap....as a father of three daughters that still ski with me....that was great!!!!!
  16. 1939 - 55' Thunderbird - John Hacker Design - Twin V-12's - 550 hp each. Begs the question......what is the biggest boat you have ever skied behind?? (35' houseboat for me - wakes were waist high, 100' behind the boat)
  17. Marco, If she does come to Syracuse, I have three daughters that live and work here that could help with the transistion to the area. They have moved & relocated a few times and know what it is like. Maybe a different perspective on the area and where to stay......than her new co-workers. Always a hard decision to relocate!!!
  18. Marco, I can't answer your specific questions on the lakes/clubs you mentioned.....however we are always looking for a third person for free skiing on our Oneida Lake just north of Syracuse. Please send me a PM if she would be interested or if I may help out with any Syracuse information. Hope she likes snow!!!!! Jon B.
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